Government to carry out headcount of top babus from minority communities

The government is keen to know the number of Muslims holding top positions in various ministries.

In a letter sent to the ministries on Thursday, the department of personnel and training (DoPT), for the first time, has asked for the names of senior government officers on the basis of their caste and religion.

The letter says that two parliamentary committees are deliberating on the issue of representation of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) at higher positions in the central government.

'Information about persons with disabilities and persons belonging to minority community is also sought for various Parliament questions... All ministries are requested to furnish the detail of officers at higher positions by July 31,' the DoPT letter says.

The so called 'social profiling' is to be done of the top civil servants in the country in Group A - specifically those having the apex scale (like the cabinet secretary and other secretaries to the government of India who get a fixed salary) and those in the higher administrative grade.

The latest list from the DoPT shows there are very few officers from the minority community serving as secretaries to the government. In fact, there are just about eight officers from the minority community among the long list of 95 officers serving as secretaries to the government of India.